Page 358 of Born of Blood and Ash

My lips parted as I stared up at him. All at once, Iunderstood his concern and why he’d asked this.

“Do you trust me?” he inquired.

“Of course.” Surprise swept through me.

“Then trust that I will always be by your side to pull youback from the brink,” he said. “Okay?”

I nodded.

“Do we have a deal? One you agree to and won’t secretly beangry about.”

“Are you not going to be secretly angry about it?”

“Eventually,” he muttered, brushing his lips over myforehead.

I exhaled heavily. “I agree as long as we both make anotherpromise.”

“I am forever wary of making you promises now,” he said.

“This isn’t a hard one,” I assured him. “We promise that ourchildren will grow with both of us by their sides. That we absolutely refuse toallow them to experience what we have.”

The eather in Ash’s eyes turnedluminous. “I swear to you, meyaah Liessa. They will have two loving, livingparents, and nothing—absolutely fucking nothing—will prevent us from ensuringthat.”

I believed him.

But my mind flashed to his promise to always be there topull me back from the brink of disaster. I buried my face against his chest,breathing him in. A tiny part of me feared a time would come when not even hecould stop me. My hand went to my lower stomach as I focused on my breathing.If they were ever threatened or harmed? Ash wouldn’t be able to stop me.

He’d have to put me in the ground.

The Thyia Plains’ guardswere somber in their bows as Ash and I, followed by Nektas,walked the hall they lined.

Keella was waiting for us in thesame room we had met her in the last time. She stood in a simple white sheathand smiled. “I was beginning to think you two may not be coming.”

“Something came up,” Ash answered, squeezing my hand. “Wewould’ve been here sooner.”

“It’s okay.” She inclined her head regally toward Nektas, where he hung back. “I enjoyed these last minuteshere. This is one of my favorite spots. I will miss it.”

A pang of sorrow lanced my chest. “Are you sure you want todo this?”

“You could sit this out,” Ash offered.

“That’s what I told her,” a steady voice came, drawing ourattention to the veranda. A tall, slim figure with chin-length, reddish-brownhair came into view. The goddess Ione stopped just inside the chamber and bowedher head to us. “None of us is eager for her to pass on.”

Seeing the goddess again brought forth mixed emotions—reliefand also unease. The latter had nothing to do with her and everything to dowith what had come after meeting her in Dalos.

“She has said this a time or a hundred,” Keellasaid with a fond smile.

“Apparently, I haven’t said it enough,” Ione replied.“Because here we are.”

“Yes,” the Primal goddess said. “Here we are. Both more thanready to begin the next chapter of our stories, but only one willing to sayit.”

Ione crossed her arms over her fitted, light gray tunic,sighing heavily before her gaze met mine. “I am glad to see you again.”

“The feeling is mutual.” I slipped my hand free of Ash’s andwalked toward the goddess. “I didn’t get a chance to thank you for the risk youtook.”

“No need to thank me.” She clasped my wrist with a hand. “Icouldn’t have been happier to fuck with Kolis.”

“Ione,” sighed Keella.

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